glee

noun

ˈglē 

1

: exultant high-spirited joy : merriment

dancing with glee

2

: a part-song for usually male voices

Synonyms of glee

• cheerfulness
• merriness
• cheer
• festivity
• mirth

Examples of glee in a Sentence

They were dancing with glee.

He could hardly contain his glee over his victory.

Recent Examples on the Web

Friends including Whitney Cummings, Kaitlyn Dever, Ben Platt, Olivia Wilde, Uzo Aduba, Joey King and Monica Lewinsky chimed in with glee in comments on the joint post. —Assistant Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026

Managers attacking journalists usually ends one way, and, predictably, Bild spent the rest of the weekend reporting with glee on Frankfurt’s defeat and poor form. —Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 3 May 2026

There is always glee in Washington in advance of royal visits. —Antonia Hitchens, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026

New York with aplomb, expressing glee about the network being able to keep the project a secret. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 17 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English glēo entertainment, music; akin to Old Norse glȳ joy, and perhaps to Greek chleuē joke

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing glee

• glee club

Rhymes for glee

• be
• bee
• bree
• cree
• fee
• flea
• flee
• free
• gee
• ghee
• he
• ki

Kids Definition

glee

noun

ˈglē 

1

: high-spirited joy

2

: an unaccompanied song for three or more voices

gleeful

-fəl

adjective

gleefully

-fə-lē

adverb

gleefulness noun